Charles Durninga US Army veteran who landed at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 and was awarded a silver star and two bronze stars, subsequently becoming a well-known actordied in New York on 24 December at the age of 89.

Well, not really news from Stalingrad, but news from Col. David Glantz about his Stalingrad books:

"Just a short update on the Stalingrad series, about which folks seem to be anxious. Thanks to some help from some German friends, volume three has 'morphed' into a 950-page narrative and 600-page companion volume containing both German and Soviet documents (including Manstein's and Paulus' and Schmidt's and Schulz's (chiefs of staff) correspondence, most key German orders, and Sixth Army's long-lost documents). I am in the process of proofing both, hopefully, to send the two books to the publisher by the end of February. The two volumes are as definitive as I can make them, and they answer most if not all of the controversial questions about the Soviet offensive and Manstein's relief efforts."

Recommended
17 December 2012

We've updated our Recommended Reading page to reflect the newest titles we think deserve some extra attention from serious students of WWII history.

Book review
16 December 2012

Carr, John. On Spartan Wings: The Royal Hellenic Air Force in World War Two. Barnsley, UK: Pen & Sword Books Ltd, 2012

"Currently, the plan is that Decision on the Rhine: First Canadian Army and the Rhineland Campaign will be published in fall of 2014. It will be the 11th installment in the Canadian Battle Series. I'm slowing the pace down a bit because, as I get a bit older, it was taking too heavy a toll doing almost a book a year. So now looking at one every second year or so. The Rhineland book will hopefully be followed by one on the Canadian advance from Normandy to Bruges, Belgiumgenerally known as 'Clearing the Channel Ports.' And there may be a book after that on the Canadian involvement in the Hong Kong debacle of December 1941."

MHB
13 December 2012

Our friendly neighborhood mail carrier has delivered "Catalog Code QK" for autumn/winter 2012 all the way from The Military History Bookshop in Folkestone, Kent. The new catalog features more than 70 pages of new and used military books, including a substantial selection of attractive WWII titles.

"I am currently working on the fifth volume, Tell Them of Us: The 29th Infantry Division Victorious, which will conclude when the last contingent of 29ers returned to New York in January 1946 and the division was demobilized. It will complete the series. I hope to publish it by late 2014."

In memoriam
11 December 2012

Birgir Stromsheima Norwegian commando who participated in the successful Operation Gunnerside raid on the German heavy water production facility at Rjukandied 10 November in Norway at the age of 101.

Col. David Glantzrenowned historian and authorwrites for many important publishers and also produces a line of scholarly, self-published books about the Russian Front in WWII. Unfortunately, according to a new message from him, it looks like problems with his local printer could be forcing him to close down his self-publishing operation within the next few weeks. While this won't affect his mainstream WWII writing, anyone interested in Col. Glantz's self-published tomes probably shouldn't postpone purchases.

Forthcoming from EM
4 December 2012

The Edwin Mellen Press has announced two books by Brien Hallett for publication in January:

Thanks to Bill Auerbach, we've managed to get our hands on Panzerwrecks, volume 14: Ostfront 2, which should be shipping any moment from both New York and Sussex. As always, a fine assortment of "panzer porn," with these photogenic hulks showing up just in time for the holidays.